Legend of the Mansion
by dejiko001
Summary: On the outskirts of Tokyo City is a mansion. No one dares to enter its premises because of a rumor saying anyone that does so will never be heard from again. Because of a bet, Momoko, Miyako, and Kaoru venture inside the mansion, but they get separated and try to regroup. Neither of them knew what laid ahead, but they knew one fact: things are never what they seem. RRBZxPPGZ.
1. The Rumor

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the anime/manga: _Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z_ and any of its characters used in this fanfic.

**Inspired by:** _Ao Oni_ and _Corpse Party_.

**A/N:** Because this is inspired by _Ao Oni_ and _Corpse Party_, this is M-rated. The reason? It's simple: There will be dark/suggestive-related themes later on to the point of where you will question my sanity as an author, a fangirl, or maybe even both. (Well, that, and the fact that there's also really strong language.) If at any point you feel offended, then please just leave.

Nonetheless, I wanted to attempt something else for the RRBZxPPGZ fandom. I'm not sure if many of you will like this fanfic, but I hope you guys appreciate it, anyway.

* * *

**Legend of the Mansion**

CHAPTER 1: _The Rumor_

A rumor.

A mere rumor caused this all.

And yet, it's this same rumor that intrigued so many people.

Every person had the same thought: _Is this true? It's not…right?_ At the end of those thoughts, they were each filled with doubt. Their burning curiosity continued to eat away, filling their heads with questions galore. They all started off with one: Even if the rumor was false, how did it start, anyway?

In the end, no one knew how this rumor spread.

Besides, even if they did, no one lived long enough to tell the tale.

* * *

"You two didn't have to come along, you know."

"What?! Kaoru, do you really think I'd let you go in alone?!"

"Why not? You run away whenever we go into a haunted house, don't you?"

A slight pause. "T-That's not the point!"

"Now, now, you two, don't start arguing."

"But, _Miyako-chan_—"

"That is _disgusting_, Momoko."

"What?! How?!"

"The way you added that damn honorific—"

"Are we going to enter or not?"

At once, the other two ceased bickering. Three teenagers stood a fair distance away from the mansion, and each of them were female. One of them was a beautiful light blue-eyed blonde. Her hair was in curled pigtails that reached to her shoulders. She had porcelain-like skin that matched her blonde hair. The next one had bright orange hair tied into a high ponytail that cascaded all the way down to her very bottom. A silk red ribbon was used to tie her hair up instead of a hairband. Her eyes were pink while her skin was peach, matching her orange hair perfectly. The third female had her black hair going in all sorts of directions. Although her eyes were light green, her skin was a bit tanner than the other two.

They each adorned a school uniform. Both the blonde and the redhead had on the school uniform for females, which consisted of a tucked in and short-sleeved white blouse, a black skirt that reached halfway above their kneecaps, and a very small and thin black ribbon tied underneath the collar, as though it was a necktie. The collar of the blouse lay flat on their clavicle. On the other hand, the black haired female had on a white long-sleeved shirt and black slacks. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled halfway up, just above her elbows, and the collar of the shirt stood up instead of resting against her clavicle. Although the blonde and redhead buttoned up their blouses to the very collar, the black haired female didn't button the top button, leaving it wide open. Compared to her two friends' appearance, the black haired female's look seemed more of a male's than a female's.

"You two don't have to go with me, you know," the black haired female known as Kaoru stated. "Nothing's gonna happen to me—"

"Kaoru," the pink-eyed redhead known as Momoko began, "do you not watch horror movies? They _always_ start out like this! It's better to go in a group than alone!"

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Wait, why did you want to come here, anyway?"

"'Cause that damn Natsuki—"

"Have you been talking to Natsuki-kun again?!"

"Oh, my fucking _God_, Momoko. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm only friends with that asshole?!"

"Well, out of every boy that you're the closest to, it's Natsuki-kun—"

"That doesn't mean I see him as a God damn love interest!"

Momoko pouted as she narrowed her eyes at Kaoru. "And out of every girl that Natsuki-kun's closest to, it's you."

"Does it look like I give a damn?" Kaoru replied, glaring at Momoko. "The boy is an _asshole._ Have you not seen how he treats you and everyone else—"

"Natsuki-kun is _amazing_, okay?!"

Scoffing, Kaoru mocked, "You only say that because he's the so-called 'hottest' guy in school."

"Because he _is!_ He's good at sports and he's smart and he's good-looking—"

"Yeah, to you and his fan girls. He's an arrogant _asshole_, Momoko, and quite frankly, he's lucky I haven't kicked his ass yet."

"I don't care! Natsuki-kun is Natsuki-kun, and I'll still like him, anyway!"

Kaoru shook her head. "You're fucking blind. Out of all of the assholes you could've fallen for, it just _had _to be him."

As the two continued to bicker, the blonde known as Miyako was already at the entrance of the mansion. She stared at the large brown doors for a while, tilting her head as she began to examine its outward appearance. The doors were worn out, as expected because of how old this mansion was, but it seemed rather sturdy. It wasn't just the doors. The rest of the mansion itself seemed worn out as well. Its black bricks were almost graying, and clumps of dirt clung to some lower parts of the walls. The paint on the roof tiles were beginning to peel off, showing its white, but also dirty, surface underneath. The windows seemed as clear as ever, except that they were all covered by curtains from within, so any hope of peering inside of the mansion was completely lost.

"Natsuki-kun is mine!"

"God damn it, Momoko! I said that I don't care! If you want him that badly, then be my guest!"

"But it's obvious that he's—"

"How many _fucking_ times do I have to say that he's just a _friend?!_ There is no way in hell he's interested in me, and there's no way I'll ever be interested in an asshole like him!"

As the two continued bickering, Miyako blinked a couple of times before walking up towards the door and placing her hand on the knob. Her eyes widened after realizing that the knob could be turned. "Momoko-san. Kaoru-san."

At once, the two ceased all of their bickering as they turned their heads to Miyako. They then simultaneously asked, "What?"

"The doors are unlocked."

Momoko and Kaoru blinked a couple of times before glancing at each other.

"Well, I'm not surprised," Kaoru stated before sighing. "No one lives in this damn mansion, anyway—"

"_Wrong!_ Obviously, you haven't heard the rumor about this mansion!" Momoko exclaimed, pouting slightly. Immediately, her eyes were overcome with slight fear.

"Rumors are just rumors," Kaoru replied, rolling her eyes. "Like I said earlier, you guys don't have to come with me. I'll be fine."

"No way we're letting you go in alone! What if something happens to you?!"

"Oh, for crying out loud, I just said—"

"Momoko-san has a point, Kaoru-san," Miyako interrupted once more. "I don't think it's wise for you to venture inside alone."

"See?! Miyako agrees with me!" Momoko exclaimed, jumping up and down. "It's better to go in as a group!"

Kaoru sighed bitterly before stating, "All right. But for the record, blame Natsuki for this."

"What?! Why Natsuki-kun?!"

"Because he's the one that made a bet with me. My end of the bargain was going into this damn mansion."

"And if you won?"

Kaoru stared at Momoko for a bit as she hesitated before replying, "He'd have to go out with you on a daaaaaate—WHAT THE HELL, MOMOKO?!"

It was already at this point that Momoko had leaped onto Kaoru and was hugging the black haired female tightly. As Kaoru began to struggle for air because this was one of Momoko's "death hugs," as Kaoru calls them, Momoko was thanking her over and over in a gleeful voice.

"Oh, my God, I take back _everything_ I said earlier! Thank you _so much_, Kaoru! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you—"

"_Whatever!_" Kaoru managed to say. "Just…let me go!"

Momoko blinked a couple of times before releasing Kaoru.

As the black haired female panted to catch her breath, she glared at the pink-eyed redhead, who was now smiling. "Get your damn ass into the mansion already."

Momoko pouted before she complied. Miyako, on the other hand, giggled softly as she headed inside as well.

Kaoru groaned before muttering about how the trio became the best of friends in the first place. As the black haired female stepped inside, she and the trio stood in astonishment of how the inside of the mansion seemed…_normal._ They were in a hallway that intersected with other pathways. Behind them was the entrance they just went through. In front of them, just a yard or two away, was a door. Whatever was behind it, they didn't have a clue. Next to it was a staircase that led upstairs to a second floor. To their right and left, though, the hallways led to some destination, but they were too far away to determine where each of the pathways would lead.

"Well, this is one hell of a disappointment," Kaoru stated, frowning. "I thought that there would be at least _something_ interesting."

"I already don't like this atmosphere…" Momoko stated softly, shuddering. "Can we leave now?"

"What the hell, Momoko?! We just came in!"

"I know, but—"

"Um, Kaoru-san?" Miyako interrupted.

Kaoru turned her head, finding that the blonde had a nervous look on her face. She frowned before asking, "Yeah, Miyako?"

"Did you perhaps…closed the door?"

"No. Why?"

Miyako hesitated before pointing behind the black haired female.

Kaoru's eyes went wide for a second before she turned around and found that the doors of the entrance were completely closed.

"See?!" Momoko exclaimed. Her eyes were completely wide as she began panicking. "Oh, my God, we're gonna _die_—"

"Shut up, Momoko! You're exaggerating the damn situation!" Kaoru yelled, glaring at the redhead. She quickly stomped over to the door and began turning both of the doorknobs to try opening them. Unfortunately, they both refused to turn. She frowned and began trying to turn them once again. After a couple of failed attempts, Kaoru grunted in frustration and turned to the blonde and redhead before shaking her head. "It looks like we'll have to find another way out."

"Maybe we can try going out one of the windows?" Miyako asked.

"Do we even know if these windows open, though?!" Momoko exclaimed.

Kaoru glared at the redhead. "Stop shouting, Momoko! The worst thing to do in a situation like this is to panic, and you're doing exactly just that, so just shut up and calm down!"

"Well, you're yelling at me!"

"Says the girl that's panicking and screaming her ass off!"

"You two, stop shouting and let's try to find a way out of here!" Miyako exclaimed, frowning.

The black haired female and redhead flinched at the blonde's tone. Indeed, this was one of those rare occasions of where the blonde would snap at the two because their bickering went overboard.

"Honestly!" Miyako huffed softly before walking over to the nearest window. She moved the curtains aside before blinking a couple of times. Her eyes grew wide in realization before she turned to the other two.

"Well?" Kaoru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This window doesn't have a switch."

"What?!"

At once, Momoko ran towards another window, moving the curtains aside and leaned towards the glass. "Same here!"

Miyako then checked the other windows, only to find that it was the same result: None of them had switches.

"We're gonna _die_—"

"Momoko, shut the hell up and let me _think_, for Christ's sake!" Kaoru exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at the pink-eyed redhead. After sighing bitterly, she glanced at the set of stairs and added, "All right. How about we—"

_Crash!_

The trio flinched at the sound.

"What the hell?" Kaoru muttered.

"It sounded like something made out of glass shattered…" Miyako stated, frowning as a look of worry appeared on her face.

"I'll go check it out, then—"

"_No!_ We're going together as a group!" Momoko suddenly exclaimed. "This happens in horror movies all of the time! The group separates, and one by one, _they all die!_"

Kaoru stared at the redhead blankly for a bit. "You need to lay off on those movies."

"But, they're so addicting—"

"And anything else related to shoujo manga, shoujo anime, and all of those damn Korean dramas—"

"Hey! I watch Japanese ones, too—"

"Okay, you two, that's enough bickering for now," Miyako interrupted, rubbing her temples. "Shall we go find out what happened?"

Immediately, the other two nodded their heads and they walked down the eastern hallway. As the trio walked, they came across a black door on their left.

"Hey, there's a door here," Kaoru stated, frowning.

"Perhaps it'll open?" Miyako inquired, tilting her head slightly.

"Don't open it! Who knows what'll come out!" Momoko then exclaimed, her eyes practically filled with fear.

Kaoru sighed in exasperation at the redhead's expression and walked over to the door. At once, she tried turning the knob, but it wouldn't turn. "It won't open."

Miyako then squinted before pointing at the doorknob. "Kaoru-san, look. There's a keyhole."

"Huh. So, I guess it's locked."

"I suppose that means we'll have to find the key."

"Need I remind you that _we don't know what's in there!_" Momoko exclaimed, flailing her arms about.

"You know what, Momoko?" Kaoru inquired, staring at the redhead. "I think you need to lay off on believing rumors as well."

"But rumors always start _somewhere_—"

"That doesn't mean that they're true. Who the hell believes in the supernatural nowadays, anyway?"

At once, Momoko cleared her voice, glaring at the light green-eyed female as she was tapping her feet.

Kaoru blinked. "Oh, right, you, who finds vampires utterly 'sexy'—"

"They _are_, though!"

"They're _dead_, Momoko. You wanna have sex with a dead corpse? Oh, wait, you can't have sex with them, anyway, because _they can't get boners!_"

As the two bickered, Miyako sighed as she hung her head, pulling her two friends by their hands down the hallway.

"Kaoru, you just don't understand what it's like to be in the presence of someone so hot—"

"Yeah, 'cause I see no point in going gaga over some _boy_—"

"Not even if he was a hot vampire?"

"Hell no! That's _disgusting!_ Haven't you ever heard of necrophilia?!"

"We're here," Miyako interrupted before the two could pointlessly continue bickering. "It seems that we're in the kitchen."

"Make that living room as well," Kaoru added as she walked over to two sets of couches and a small mini table in between the sets of furniture. The black haired female then sat down comfortably, leaning back against the pillows of the couch. "You know, this couch isn't so bad. It's pretty comfy."

"For a mansion, the furniture is rather simplistic," Miyako added, pondering as she paced slowly around the room as she glanced at the furniture and the carpet. "The carpet seems as though it's kept in good condition as well."

"Maybe someone lives here, after all?" Kaoru inquired as she leaned her head back to stare at the ceiling lights. "I mean, it would explain why the place is lit up in the first place."

"Most likely not."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow at the light blue-eyed blonde. "What makes you say that?"

"This mansion seems very old, so there's a high possibility that the mayor assigned a caretaker, or perhaps even more than one."

"True. Wait, does he even know about this place?"

Miyako shrugged in response as she then walked over to the wall, wondering why walls such as these were kept so clean because they were completely white. Not a speck of dirt was upon any of them. She frowned slightly while raising an eyebrow as she continued to examine the wall.

Kaoru, on the other hand, was still sitting on the couch and staring at the ceiling lights.

Meanwhile, Momoko looked around before finding a gleaming object near the counter. She squinted her pink eyes before smiling and walking over. Leaning down, she found that the item was none other than a plate smashed into pieces. Slowly, she reached for one of the shards and held it up before turning around. "Hey, you guys—"

_Zzt!_

Pitch black.

It was utterly pitched black.

The pink-eyed redhead gulped softly before calling out softly, "Um, Miyako? Kaoru? You guys there?"

No response.

She gulped softly once more before whispering to herself, "Oh, why do things like this have to happen now of all times?!" Pausing, she then added, "Calm down, Momoko. It's probably just…really bad lighting. Yeah. That's it. The lights will eventually come back on."

As if on cue, the lights switched back on, and for that, Momoko was grateful.

There was only one downside to this situation, though.

She was all alone.


	2. The Crimson-Eyed Man

**Legend of the Mansion**

CHAPTER 2: _The Crimson-Eyed Man  
_

Miyako and Kaoru were nowhere in sight. At once, Momoko began to whimper as she held onto the shard against her chest, clutching it as if for dear life.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Momoko," she whispered before glancing around and taking a step forward. "Everything's gonna be okay… Just call them, and then, we can find our way out of here."

As she left the room, she took out her cell phone. Hesitating, she continued to walk down the hallway as she looked at it. Her face paled immediately.

No signal.

She opened her mouth slowly, but instead, she bit her lip and gulped softly. Eventually, she reached at the intersection, and she began to wonder what to do next. The entrance doors were locked; the door she passed just now was locked as well, even though she definitely didn't want to open it. The pink-eyed redhead continued to stare at the entrance doors before turning to her right, which was the other hallway that led somewhere else.

Momoko sighed. She clutched the shard tightly even more before whispering, "I'll be okay. I'll be okay. I'll be okay."

She repeated that phrase until she finally reached the end of the hallway, which revealed to have two doors: one that was at the very end in her direction, and the other on the right. Just as soon as she stepped forward, it was then she saw it—a shadow.

A moving shadow of some unknown figure.

Her eyes went wide and immediately, she dropped her shard to cover her mouth.

Big mistake.

The shard broke into tinier pieces, making a similar noise to when its original form as a plate dropped onto the floor. Because of that, Momoko's eyes grew even wider. Immediately, she ran away.

Whatever that unknown figure was, she didn't know, but she had no intention on finding out. Upon reaching the intersection, she immediately ran up the stairs, not looking back. For all she knew, the figure probably heard, and it was chasing after her at this very moment. With that thought in mind, she immediately ran inside the room on the right once she was at the top of the stairs. She inwardly thanked the heavens when she saw that it was unlocked. Without hesitating, she ran inside and closed the door, having her back against it and her hand against the door knob.

Momoko continued to pant over and over, catching her breath as she slowly began to slide down against the door—that is, until she saw that there was something shining in the distance. She narrowed her pink eyes as she slowly regained her balance and breath before walking over to the desk. Kneeling down, she examined closely, and she couldn't help but blink her pink eyes in astonishment.

"A key?" she asked out loud. "What's a key doing here?"

She then reached to pick it up, but she stopped at once.

What if this key led to her demise? She always watched horror movies of where the characters would die because they did something stupid, and it'd end up with her yelling at those same characters for being dumb enough to do something like that in first place.

A frown appeared on her face as she began to contemplate. What if this key was her ticket out of this mansion instead, or maybe her ticket to finding the others?

With that thought in mind, she grabbed the key and held it up for her to examine it even closer. Upon closer inspection, she narrowed her eyes and said out loud, "Library…key?" She blinked her pink eyes once more before asking, "This mansion has a library?" However, she then pouted before adding softly, "Looks like I'll have to find this library… Although, I doubt it'll help me get out of this place."

Nonetheless, she headed for the door and poked her head out to make sure that the coast was clear. She sighed in relief, left the room, and began walking down the stairs as she began to ponder where this library was. It was only then that she recalled something. She, Miyako, and Kaoru encountered a door earlier near the kitchen and living room.

"Maybe this is the key to that door…" She stated softly while staring at the key. Immediately, she resisted the urge to whimper. Once she reached the last step, she gulped softly and took a deep breath before heading to her left and down the hallway until she reached to a black door that the trio of friends saw earlier. She hesitated as she stared at the door knob, but she took another deep breath before slowly bringing the key up and into the keyhole. Her face paled upon seeing that it had fit perfectly. Once she turned it, she knew that she couldn't go back.

Slowly, she opened the door and closed it behind her. The fact that the room was mostly dark didn't help that queasy feeling she had inside of her, even though there were dim lights on the ceiling. Part of her was already screaming inwardly for her to get out, but her curiosity got the best of her once she heard that faint sound of shuffling.

She knew that she shouldn't go around the corner. She knew that. This always happened in horror movies that she watched, and she definitely didn't want to be one of those people that did something stupid that resulted in their death.

After recalling those moments, she couldn't bring herself to call out. She couldn't find her voice at all, so she tip-toed around the bookcases and shelves. Everywhere she looked, hundreds of books were about, and each one was set nicely and orderly on those very shelves. Immediately, she heard the sound of shuffling again, only this time much louder. Just as she was about to turn around the corner to find the source, she heard a loud groan—a groan that was loud enough to indicate that whoever made it definitely wasn't human.

Momoko couldn't help but stand utterly still. She began to back away slowly—until she accidentally bumped into a bookshelf. At once, a chain reaction occurred. A pile of books fell onto the floor, making a loud noise in the process.

She couldn't help but squeak softly and cover her mouth—only to find that she was too late.

The figure that was supposedly around the corner already noticed her presence. It was standing a mere distance away as it stood, continuing to stare directly at her.

Momoko couldn't help but tremble underneath its gaze.

The figure was none other than a deformed large blob, emitting dark particles all around it. Its white eyes were blank and slanted. None of its other body parts could be seen, but as Momoko continued to tremble, its form changed from a blob to an actual human-like figure. It grew slender arms and legs, and its hands and fingers looked more like claws. Its mouth was still nowhere to be seen—until it smiled at the pink-eyed redhead, revealing its white canine teeth.

Momoko knew then that she had to run, and so, she ran.

She knew it was behind her because it continued to groan, as though calling out to her.

Not wanting to look back, she ran left and right at each intersection. She didn't know that the library was _this_ maze-like. Bookshelves were everywhere, and if they didn't block her way, then the large piles of books she occasionally passed by definitely did. Part of her inwardly screamed that she had no idea where she was going and that at one point, she was gonna reach a dead end.

Unfortunately, that part of her jinxed her. Her feet screeched to a halt upon countering a dead end. Her eyes grew wide as she tried to find a way out, but there was no use.

The groans from the figure snapped her back from her panicking. She turned around to find that the figure was nearing the corner.

She bit her lip and closed her eyes, not knowing what to do—until she was suddenly pulled aside into some sort of narrow space between the bookshelves, causing her to yelp softly. Before she could realize what was happening, she felt herself pressed against this new figure entirely. She blinked her pink eyes, feeling a bit uncomfortable because of how narrow the space was. Before she had a chance to scream, the unknown figure had its hand on her mouth.

Momoko couldn't help but panic even more at this. She had just escaped from that weird figure, but now she ended up in another bad situation. For all she knew, this figure probably wanted to kill her as well!

"Scream, and you'll give our position away," the figure whispered.

Momoko blinked her pink eyes, trying to see who it was. The only clue she could identify the figure as was its voice, indicating it as none other than a male.

Eventually, she heard the figure come towards the dead end, causing her breathing to hitch.

The figure immediately gave a low groan. Judging by the lighting, the figure transformed back into a blob, and it went away, making squishing noises in the process because of its form.

"Coast is clear," the male figure whispered.

It was then Momoko also realized something.

Aside from the fact that the male figure being pressed up against her entirely, his mouth was also near her ear, and she couldn't help but shudder softly.

"You cold?"

"N-No," Momoko managed to say.

"All right, then."

Momoko couldn't bring herself to respond. She didn't even know who this person was, for crying out loud!

"You mind?"

"W-What?"

"You can get out now, you know," the figure replied dryly.

Momoko flinched, and somehow, she managed to get herself out of the narrow space. At once, she patted her uniform and tried to fix it. Just as she was about to snap at the figure, out the figure came, and she couldn't help but widen her eyes.

Crimson.

This figure—no, _man_, for that matter, had _crimson_ eyes.

His skin was tan, and he had a small scar on his right cheek that was near his jawline. His hair was none other than a bright shade of orange, but just a tad bit darker than Momoko's. He adorned black slacks, white tennis shoes that each had three red stripes on the sides, and a red cap placed backwards on his head. Some of his bangs came out of the cap's hole, while the rest of his spiky, long hair reached only to his shoulders. He even had on a red hoodie, which perfectly matched his eyes.

Momoko couldn't help but stare at the man.

The man stared back before turning the other way and walking away from her.

"H-Hey—"

"Unless you want that thing to find you again, I suggest not raising your voice," the man replied coolly.

Momoko frowned, narrowing her eyes at the man. Before she could retort, she heard the familiar groan coming closer. She immediately flinched and ran towards the man, clinging onto him for dear life. In response, the man grumbled softly before he pulled her by the hand, and the two began running.

The groaning became even louder than before, indicating that the figure had already found them and was now following the two.

Momoko couldn't help but panic inwardly. She could hear her heart beating directly in her ear. Left, right, left, right. The maze in the library felt like it went on forever until she and the crimson-eyed man finally arrived at the entrance.

At once, the two ran out the door. The man immediately slammed the door shut, having his back against the wall as the figure began to pound away, trying to open the door.

Momoko quickly took out the key and locked the door. Immediately, the pounding subsided, and she slid down against the wall before panting in relief. She slowly looked at the crimson-eye man, who was now leaning calmly against the door and had his eyes closed. Once he opened his eyes, Momoko then realized one thing: This crimson-eyed man was actually handsome. No matter how much she would try to deny it (by trying to say that Natsuki totally beat him in the looks department), this man was probably the best good-looking guy she had ever seen in her entire life.

When the crimson-eyed man glanced at her and Momoko realized then that she was staring at him, she couldn't help but feel flustered and look at the floor in response. She heard the man sigh before then hearing his footsteps. When she looked back up, she found that he was already walking away from her.

"H-Hey!" Momoko exclaimed as she got up and ran towards him.

He stopped at the very corner of the intersection and turned his body to look at her. The man continued to stare at her with a raising eyebrow.

Momoko hesitated as she looked down at the floor before muttering softly, "D-Don't leave me here…"

"Why shouldn't I?"

Momoko snapped her head back up at him with her eyes completely wide.

"I don't see any point in having a loudmouth girl like you around me."

Momoko couldn't believe it. This man… Even though he may be the most handsome guy she's ever seen, he definitely ruined that image of a "perfect knight in shining armor" just now with that attitude.

"Not to mention that you were clumsy enough to cause some noise to attract that thing's attention."

Momoko couldn't help but narrow her eyes at him in annoyance.

"Although, I guess I do have to thank you. You diverted his attention long enough for me to get the key."

At this, Momoko couldn't help but blink in astonishment. "Key? What key?"

The crimson-eyed man sighed in response before taking out a key from the pocket in his hoodie. "It was on the desk that thing was near. I couldn't go in there headfirst, unless I wanted to die—"

"So you're saying that you let _me_ be the bait instead?!"

"Hey, you weren't part of my plan in the first place. I didn't even know you were there."

Momoko continued to fume inwardly as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I had a plan, but since you coincidentally showed up, I went to get the key and I quickly hid. Then I saw you, so I figured I may as well save you." At once, he smirked, as though to mock her. "So if anything, you should be thanking me."

Momoko merely scoffed, still fuming inwardly at the man. Sure, he may be handsome, but that attitude of his made Momoko felt irritated, which is a rare case, especially when it came to men.

The crimson-eyed man then chuckled in a mocking tone before he turned around and went up the stairs.

Momoko's eyes went wide at this. "W-Wait for me!" She immediately ran after him and went up the stairs. Throughout the entire time, he had his back to her because she was directly behind him. "Don't tell me you were seriously thinking of leaving me behind!"

"No, I was totally thinking of coming back for you, despite what I said earlier," the man replied dryly.

Momoko's jaw dropped. "You… You're heartless!"

"I get that a lot."

"And you're a jerk!"

"I also get that a lot," he replied calmly and just before Momoko could respond, he added, "I don't care what you think about me, but you mind going off in some other direction?"

"I refuse! It's better to stick together as a group, anyway!"

"Which means more unnecessary baggage to carry around," he grumbled.

"I heard that!"

The crimson-eyed man made no response, but when the two finally arrived at the second floor, Momoko saw of how he was rolling his eyes and grumbling softly to himself.

Momoko couldn't help but frown as she started to rant over and over about the crimson-eyed man inwardly—that is, until she finally realized one little detail he hadn't told her yet: His name. Well, she hadn't given her name to him yet, either, but even so, she at least deserved to know the name of the most handsome guy she's ever seen. The fact that he beat Natsuki in the looks department was a definite plus for her, no matter how much she tried to deny it inwardly over and over. She turned her head only to find that he was standing before a drawing of some sort on the wall. Immediately, she walked over to him and stared at the drawing.

She blinked a couple of times. "Um, what is this?"

"A map," the man replied.

"I knew that," Momoko replied softly.

The man scoffed softly before rolling his eyes.

Momoko immediately glared at him, not bothering to respond verbally. Her face then became a look of confusion when she saw that the man was now walking away from the girl, heading in a different direction. She glanced back at the door she went in earlier—the same one that led to the room of where she found the library key underneath a desk.

"Why are you going that way?" Momoko asked, frowning slightly. She pointed to the door on the right. "That one's unlocked."

The man rolled his crimson eyes once more at the girl, not bothering to make an effort in groaning. He held up the key he mentioned earlier, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

Momoko pouted as her cheeks puffed up slightly at the man. "You don't even know if you're going the right way!"

"Well, in case you didn't notice, there's a third floor."

Momoko blinked her eyes before she ran up to the man. After looking to her left, she walked forward a bit to get a small glimpse of a staircase. She blinked her eyes once more, feeling dumbfounded.

The man rolled his crimson eyes once more at the girl before walking to their left and heading up the staircase, not even bothering to look back at the female redhead. He didn't even bother to turn his head to see that she was following right behind him; he could already tell by hearing her footsteps.

"Wait."

"What now?" the man grumbled, narrowing his eyes at Momoko. He was already at a door, and he was just about to insert the key into the keyhole.

Momoko began to hesitate.

The man raised an eyebrow at her. "Well? I don't have all day."

"Your name…"

He continued to stare at her while still raising an eyebrow.

Momoko felt her cheeks heat up, but she brushed it off coolly, even if he could see that she was blushing.

"What about my name?"

Momoko then glared at him and crossed her arms. "You know very well what I'm asking."

"No, I don't. If you're going to ask something, then at least clarify."

Momoko's eye twitched as she began to wonder why she even felt her cheeks flare up in the first place. However, she smiled, resisting the urge to snap at the man, even if he was handsome. "I want to know your name."

He blinked a couple of times at her. Closing his eyes and letting out a sigh, he responded, "It's rude to ask for someone's name before introducing yourself first."

Momoko narrowed her eyes and scoffed. "Fine! My name is Akatsutsumi Momoko!"

Immediately, he smirked at her. "Brick. The name's Brick."


	3. The Flirtatious So-called Gentleman

**Legend of the Mansion**

CHAPTER 3: _The Flirtatious So-called Gentleman_

Darkness.

That's all that she saw surrounding her.

Complete darkness.

Miyako slowly opened her light blue eyes at her situation, but still, all she saw was darkness. She blinked a couple of times, having a blank look on her face as she began to contemplate her situation at the moment. Last time she checked, she was in the living room and kitchen with Kaoru and Momoko. It was afterward that the lights went out, and all Miyako saw was pure darkness.

She found herself leaning back against a flat surface, which made her frown slightly. The blonde then tried moving her arms to the side, only to find that they were now pushing against flat surfaces on both sides. Afterward, she tried placing both of her hands above her head, only to find that there was also a ceiling.

"Could it be…?" Miyako muttered. She knew that she was already sitting, but nonetheless, she kicked whatever was in front of her. Her eyes widened upon finding that she deducted correctly: she was in a closet the entire time.

She blinked her eyes as she slowly got out, wondering how in the world she ended up here, anyway. The only thing she could recall was being in the living room and kitchen with Kaoru and Momoko. At once, the blonde blinked her eyes in realization.

"Kaoru-san? Momoko-san?" she called out. She paused, waiting—or rather, hoping—for a response, but not a sound was heard. It was only her in the dark room. The blonde could barely see, and at once, she frowned. As she leaned against the closed closet doors and crossed her arms, she began to ponder. Just where in the world was she? She obviously wasn't in the living room or kitchen because neither of the two had a closet. Besides, how did she even end up in one? Moreover, why was the room so dark?

The blonde continued to frown. "I can barely see… How am I supposed to—" Her eyes opened with realization. "Of course!"

She quickly fumbled in her skirt pocket before taking out an object: her cell phone. The frown reappeared on her face when she saw that there wasn't a signal shown on its screen after turning it on. Nonetheless, she held the cell phone up, using its light as though it were a flashlight. As she scanned the somewhat lit room, she found a lamp, and she walked over before turning it on.

Miyako couldn't help but sigh in relief. The room was definitely brighter, but just barely. She was able to make out where the doorway was from where she stood. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the bed that was just a meter or two away from her, though. The bed was neatly arranged; its white belongings, such as the sheets, blanket, and pillow, were clean as ever and placed as though someone just made it. However, the blonde decided to ignore this fact as she headed for the doorway. As soon as she left the room and closed the door behind her, her face paled.

"Oh, my word," Miyako muttered. Wherever she was, she definitely wasn't in the living room or kitchen; for all she knew, she may not even be in the mansion, anymore. The flooring was now a carpet, having a dark shade of bluish-purple. Not only that, it was completely dirty, with slight debris everywhere. The walls were a dirty shade of lavender, and some of its paint was peeling off. Parts of the floor itself had holes—some of which were either very big or small. The blonde couldn't help but wonder if it was even safe to walk on the flooring. However, another thought occurred to her: How were the others doing? Because her cell phone had no signal, she couldn't contact Momoko and Kaoru at all. At this, the blonde couldn't help but worry, and so, she began walking.

She expected the floor to give way, but instead, the floor itself seemed sturdy. The blonde then picked up her pace and examined her surroundings. There was a set of stairs and three other hallways. One of the hallways led to a door, but she could see from a distance that there wasn't a doorknob anywhere on it, so going there was pointless. That left the other two hallways and going up the stairs. As the blonde debated, she began to walk closer to the center of the large room. Going up and down the stairs would be too much of a hassle, especially if she missed anything on this floor. Thus, the blonde then began to debate between the two pathways. The one to her left looked like it lead to a dead end from where she stood, so she decided to head straight.

Miyako noticed of how the hallway was much narrower than she expected; not to mention that it was very short, aside from the door she just passed. Just as soon as she saw that there was another door up ahead and took a step forward, the floor from where she stood suddenly gave way.

The sound of falling debris covered her screams as she fell—on something rather soft. Just as soon as she opened her eyes to examine the situation, there were still pieces of carpet and wood from above. The blonde was about to move out of the way when she was suddenly flipped over against the floor. She let out a soft squeal at the contact with the hard wooden flooring, closing her eyes at the impact. When she heard the groans, Miyako opened her eyes immediately, only to find them staring right back into a set of blue eyes—eyes that were a much richer and darker color than hers. It was a pure shade of blue, unlike her light blue eyes.

She blinked a couple of times. "W-What—"

The person above her groaned softly once more. "You okay?"

Her eyes widened when she realized that it was a man above her, and her eyes widened even more at their position. The way he was above her made it looked like he pinned her. At once, the blonde didn't dare to continue her thoughts as she quickly scrambled out underneath the man and out of the large pile of debris. She turned around, knowing that she should've helped the man, but by the time she did so, he was already standing and stretching his back, dusting himself off.

As he did this, Miyako decided to examine him further. His hair was a rich shade of blonde, just like hers. He had small freckles on both of his cheeks, but they were barely noticeable. He adorned what seemed to be a sports shirt; its long sleeves reached all the way to his wrist, and its ends were a golden color. The shirt itself had a v-neck, showing off his collar bone, and its end there and at the shirt's bottom were gold, matching the wrists. His shirt matched the color of his eyes—pure blue. On his shirt was the number zero, and it too was outlined in gold. The blonde man adorned black slacks and white tennis shoes that had two blue stripes on each of the sides. As the blonde man then started kicking the debris aside, Miyako couldn't help but stare, especially at his hair. His hair was completely shaggy, and his wave-like hairstyle was something she had never seen on a boy before.

Miyako continued to watch him move aside the debris around her as he came walking towards the blonde girl. When he finally looked at her with a grin on his face, she immediately bowed. "I-I'm sorry!" When she glanced up, she saw of how he was adorning a confused look, so she added, "I-I landed on top of you, and you protected me—"

"Hey, hey, hey, no need to apologize. It's only natural for a gentleman to save a damsel in distress, right?" the man joked, grinning even more.

Miyako couldn't help but frown at his words. "I am not a damsel in distress, but thank you for saving me, anyway."

The blonde man whistled softly. "Okay, I guess you don't like that kind of term."

"No woman likes to be referred as that."

He chuckled.

"May I ask what's so amusing?"

"Oh, nothing," he replied, still grinning.

Miyako couldn't help but frown even more at the man. His attitude was starting to annoy her, and she _rarely_ became annoyed at people. The female blonde was much more tolerant towards others, compared to Momoko and Kaoru. The tomboy was much less tolerant, and she could even be considered as Miyako's complete opposite.

At once, there was a soft groan—a nonhuman-like groan.

"Shit," the blonde man muttered.

"Excuse me?" Miyako replied, her eyes wide. She didn't expect this man to use such strong language. Sure, she was accustomed to Kaoru and her language, and being the teenagers that they are, she knew about certain words and such. This man came off to her as a playful type, but also respectable. She didn't expect someone like him to suddenly curse.

He quickly grabbed a hold of her wrist before the blonde could say anymore. Immediately, she felt herself being pulled and dragged up the stairs. As she began to protest, he yelled, "Not now! Just focus on running!"

"But why should—"

Her voice cut off when she saw a black blob slither underneath the door of the room they were just in. She could make out its slanted white eyes, and she could feel its gaze on her before she and the blonde man were finally reached the top of the stairs. The blonde could feel the goosebumps on her skin still from the blob's gaze, and she couldn't help but wonder what exactly what it was. Her train of thoughts were cut off as the blonde man was rushing out of a door—she recognized this door as one of the two doors she saw before she fell through the flooring—with his hand still on her wrist. The two ran down the hallway, and Miyako looked back—only to find that the some black creature was now following the two.

If anything, this creature seemed as though it was a hybrid of some sort between a serpent and a dragon. Its white slanted eyes were there, and its body was still black. However, the way it moved was as though it was in a body of water. It continued to slither after the two, showing how long its body truly was. Even from a distance, Miyako could make out its distinctions. Although she expected to see scales on the creature, it seemed to have none. But when Miyako saw of how it cried out to the two, baring its large and parted mouth and revealing its large canine teeth, she couldn't help but let out a soft squeal.

As her eyes widened when it picked up its pace, she yelled, "W-What—"

"Not now! Like I said, just focus on running!"

Before she knew it, the two ran inside the same room that Miyako found herself in. The lamp was still on, and the room was still barely lit. Before she could ask anything else, she found herself pushed inside the closet she was in earlier. Her eyes widened at this. "What are you—"

"Just be quiet," the man whispered. "No matter what, keep your mouth shut unless you want to be found by that thing." Before Miyako could respond—again, she was shocked by how harsh he suddenly sounded—the man already slammed the closet doors shut, leaving the female blonde alone in the darkness.

Miyako felt how dry her throat suddenly became, but she took heed of his advice, anyway. When she heard the door to the room open, she froze instantly. She didn't know what was going on, and she didn't understand what was going on at all. Just what happened to the blob, and what exactly was that creature? These thoughts kept surrounding her head until one especially came to mind: What about Momoko and Kaoru? Her face paled at the thought of them dealing with this sort of creature as well, and for all she knew, the two were probably alone, or maybe they already found a companion, just like her with the blonde man. Her fears and worries began eating her away in the inside, and Miyako could feel how her stomach churning a bit. By the time the churning became stronger, the doors were opened, and she flinched, but relaxed when she realized that it was the blonde man that opened the closet.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

Miyako nodded, hoping that her anxiety over her two friends wouldn't show. Now wasn't the time to stress. In fact, she should be searching for them right now, and not stay in some closet!

"Need help?"

Miyako, fearful that her anxiety would show through her body language, simply nodded in response. She felt the blonde man wrap his arms around her waist and pulling her out of the small closet. His embrace, for some reason, gave her a small tingly, but electrical feeling, and she didn't know why. If she didn't know better, the sensation was very similar to a small shock from static electricity. As soon as he let her down, he grinned again, but Miyako only frowned. The man still had his arms around her, after all.

"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow after noticing the frown.

She sighed softly, wondering if the man was really unaware of his character. As she pulled himself away, she shook her head. "It's nothing. I'm just…" She didn't dare finish her sentence.

"Scared? You're not the only one. I was chased by that thing earlier, but I didn't know it could travel through doors like that at all."

Miyako hesitated. "Just…what exactly was that creature? And what happened to the blob?"

The blonde man sat down on the bed, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know. But I do know that the blob and creature you saw chasing us are the same one."

Miyako's eyes widened. "They're what?"

He nodded in response. "The blob can change its form into that nasty thing you saw."

"It…It looked like a snake, actually."

"Dragon."

Miyako blinked, not knowing whether or not to respond.

"That thing, if you ask me, is more like a dragon. There is no way in hell that thing is a serpent. It's not like it's some basilisk."

"Yes, but it didn't have any scales—"

"Its original form is a blob. Of course it wouldn't have scales."

Miyako couldn't help but frown at this. If she didn't know any better, the man was snapping at her. She continued to stare at the man, who had on a blank face. When he looked at her, though, he immediately smiled, and this caused Miyako to flinch slightly. Something about his smile told her that she couldn't trust him. She wasn't the kind of girl that was fooled so easily; if she was, she would've been tricked into dating a "jackass," in Kaoru's words, of course, a long time ago. His sigh broke Miyako out of her train of thoughts, and she continued to stare at him.

He grinned at her; his playful personality seemed to be back, and Miyako couldn't help but wonder why he was so…calm. She knew she was scared, but years of being around Momoko and Miyako taught her to be strong, no matter what. Out of the three, Momoko was the one that was most likely to break down. At this thought, Miyako looked down at the flooring, and she couldn't help but fret even more about her two friends.

"Hey."

She glanced back at him in response.

"You're okay, though, right?"

Miyako blinked a few times. This man was the one that was hit by falling wooden pieces and debris, the one that ran out of there with her, and the one that took the damage from all of that on himself to protect her. But why? She knew it was natural to help others, but…the more she stared at him, the more she couldn't help but wonder one thing: his wounds.

Just where exactly were his wounds from the fall? Even her appearance was messy from it, but she didn't even bother to fix it. She subconsciously reached for her pigtails, feeling that one of them was already loose. She then glanced down at her appearance, finding that her skirt was completely dirty and that there were a few scratches on her legs. At this, she couldn't help but feel even more self-conscious.

She didn't realize that the man was already leaning towards her legs to get a better look, and by the time she did, she jumped slightly, letting out a soft squeal. "W-What—"

He grunted softly. "You did get hurt. Damn…"

Miyako blinked. Was it really that natural of him to curse so easily? He just gave off an aura that seemed otherwise, but then again, his smile seemed rather suspicious to her. Something about it screamed ill intentions to her, but why would it? They just met, after all, and it was through an accident. Miyako was good at reading people and their personalities very easily, but this man? She had no idea how to classify him as in her head at all, and she couldn't help but feel rather annoyed at this.

The man sighed before standing up and then grabbing her hand gently, urging her to sit on the bed. When Miyako did so, he leaned down, examining the scratches on her legs.

Miyako honestly felt a bit uncomfortable. "Um, look, this is unnecessary. They're only small scratches, after all. They're not deep." She hesitated and added softly, "If anything, your wounds need to be examined, not mine."

"I'm fine," he replied.

Miyako flinched upon realizing that he actually heard.

"If I was really down for the count, you wouldn't have gotten there alive now, would you?" At this, he grinned at her once again.

Miyako didn't bother to respond. She couldn't. Why was it that this man is still easy-going, despite their current situation? She just couldn't understand this man at all.

"Aw, don't tell me you're giving me the silent treatment now. I didn't mean to call you a damsel in distress."

"If you didn't mean it, then you wouldn't have said it."

"But I'm pretty sure that you know people who sometimes say things they don't really mean."

Miyako didn't bother to respond again. He had a point. She knew that Kaoru was one of those people. She wasn't exactly very honest about her feelings, and she knew how easy it was for the tomboy to mask her true emotions.

"I mean, I know people that are like that," the man added, and he chuckled softly.

"Really? Such as?"

"My brothers."

She blinked. "Siblings?"

"Yeah. Both of them are older." He then looked up at her. "I'm the youngest."

"I see. How old are they?"

He gave her a cheeky grin. "Interested in me already?"

At this, Miyako frowned and immediately pulled her legs up, sitting in a formal position on the bed. "Now is not the time to be flirtatious."

"Well, there's a beautiful girl with me, and I saved her, so I can't deny the fact that I'm a bit interested in you," he replied, grinning even more as he sat down next to her on the bed. He leaned towards her, and Miyako couldn't help but back away slightly from the man. At this, he grinned even more in amusement. "Besides, don't you think that this kind of atmosphere is a lot better than panicking and screaming after being chased by that thing?"

Miyako couldn't help but frown as she stared at him in response. She knew her share of flirtatious boys, but she could handle them and reject them. But this man? For some reason, Miyako had that queasy feeling inside of her to not trust him. His smile was still suspicious to her, after all.

He chuckled as he looked in the other direction. "Cute, beautiful, and calm. I like that in a girl."

Miyako frowned. She never thought she could frown this much around a person at all.

"I wonder…" His voice trailed off as he glanced at her. When he smiled in response, Miyako felt a chill run down her spine. She could hear in her inner voice telling her not to trust the man, so she kept quiet and stayed in the same position. He then stated, "Oh, never mind. Say, what's your name? I'm Boomer."

Miyako hesitated. Was it really wise to tell him? When she glanced at him and saw of how he was waiting for her to respond, she sighed in defeat. "Gotokuji Miyako."

"Miyako, huh?"

She nodded in response, clenching her fists as an act of anxiety.

He smiled, and at once, her goosebumps came back. Before she knew it, the man known as Boomer grabbed one of her fists, unclenched it with one of his own hands, and lightly kissed each of her knuckles. Looking at her, he stated while smiling, "Well, then, it's nice to meet you, Miyako-chan."


End file.
